Come What May
by V.M. Bell
Summary: Come what may, I will love you until my dying day." Songfic based on "Come What May" from "Moulin Rouge!" I am not David Baerwood, Nicole Kidman, or Ewan McGregor or even Baz Luhrmann, so don't sue me. I am but an impoverished writer. :)


Come What May  
  
Never knew I could feel like this Like I've never seen the sky before Want to vanish inside your kiss Everyday I love you more and more  
  
Lily Evans brushed past him, hurrying to Transfiguration. Lucius Malfoy held his breath as she passed, unable to move. He had gotten into the habit of doing that lately. While he could blame just about everything on other people due to his rather high station in life (Romulus Malfoy was a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official, and it was because of him everyone gave Lucius a very wide berth), for this, however, he knew he had to take responsibility. Well, not entirely. Was it his fault Lily had such gorgeous rippling hair, colored a shade that one wouldn't forget that quickly? Was it his fault Lily had such piercingly beautiful green eyes, fresh as the spring air?  
  
Lucius knew, however, that even if Lily fancied him (which he didn't consider possible - she would often eye him from a distance with disgust), the relationship would never work out. Common sense told him that much. He was a Pureblood, she a Muggle-born (true, a Mudblood, but he couldn't even bring himself to call her that), and his father and family would never approve of such a match. Lucius had always prided himself on his ancestry, but now, was it more curse than blessing?  
  
But even now, blood did not come to the thoughts of Lucius. He was still staring at Lily's swinging hair, disappearing around the corner. She's so beautiful, he thought, but she'd never have me. But she's just so pretty, and everyday she must grow prettier. His feelings for Miss Evans had began as just mild interest in a rather good-looking girl and had escalated into a full-blown infatuation with a charming young lady.  
  
Listen to my heart Can you hear it sing? It's telling me to give you everything Seasons may change Winter to spring But I love you Until the end of the time  
  
He walked up to her after class. It was one of the very few times Lucius had seen with less than twenty people. She was quite popular and always surrounded by a group of people, including that obnoxious James Potter. Worthless filth, he thought, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you?" he asked in a would-be casual voice had everyone around him not erupted into silent fits of laughter. Go on, laugh, he thought angrily.  
  
"Okay, why not?" she said, but to Lucius, her voice was full of suspicion.  
  
Lucius led her into an empty classroom and locked the door. He took a deep breath, preparing for what he was about to do, yet the moment he turned around, whatever he had been planning to say left him as the morning fog disappears when the sun rises. She was paralyzing him, mind and soul, and he found his mouth hanging open ever so slightly. She was wearing the air of a child waiting on Christmas morning, but she was so endearing at the same time. Lily, Lily, if only you knew what I want to tell you, he thought sorrowfully. How I would discard my bloodline for your love and your affection, how I would love you forever if you just gave me the chance -  
  
But he only said, "Lily, will you go out with me?"  
  
Come what may Come what may I will love you Until my dying day  
  
Lucius was very aware of the fact Lily was staring at him as if he had just grown twelve heads. I know what she's thinking, he thought. What is this Slytherin rubbish asking me out when I'm the most popular girl in the school and Gryffindor to boot? Oh well, Lucius, worth trying anyway. He turned around, not waiting any longer for a response he probably wouldn't get anyway, and headed for the door.  
  
"No, Lucius, wait!" Lily called having finally found her voice.  
  
He turned his head slightly, just so he could see her soft face out of the corner of his eye. She looked undecided. Should I try? He pivoted slowly until he was looking Lily in the straight in the eye. Well, is she going to say anything? He saw her bite her lip. Still not sure? Then -  
  
Lucius strode over to Lily, trying to ignore the fact his chest felt like it was about to explode and he was within two feet of her, but kept eye contact all the same.  
  
"This will sound very blunt, but I haven't much of a choice. I know I don't have any chance with you; after all, you have half of the entire school at your disposal. You could pick any Gryffindor guy over me, but just listen to me, okay? As much as I seem to dislike you because of your - er - background, I really care for you and I will always do so."  
  
Silence met this extraordinary pronouncement. Feeling uneasy, Lucius tried to help Lily in comprehending what he really meant to say. Placing a hand under her chin and tilting her face up, he said, very kindly and compassionately, what he had wanted to say for nearly a year.  
  
"Lily, I love you."  
  
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste It all revolves around you  
  
Lily flopped onto her bed at night, well past midnight, her mind still awhirl. She didn't have much recollection as to what happened that afternoon. Lucius had asked her out - exactly what she had wanted for quite some time, but that feeling of joy was mingled with uncertainty. What would her friends say once they found out she was dating a Slytherin, and Lucius Malfoy at that? What would James say? She had noticed he had been paying her a little more attention than usual. And while she liked James very much, she most definitely didn't want to date him.  
  
But Lucius! She had liked him for so long, admired him from a distance, his sleek silver-blond hair, how incredibly smooth he could handle any situation. She had been hungering for him - and now her wish had been granted. Her life was better than it had ever been, Hogwarts and otherwise, but now, it was simply perfect because Lucius was there.  
  
And there's no mountain to high No river too wide Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide But I love you Until the end of time  
  
"Lily, where were you?" James asked the second she appeared in the common room, her cheeks pink from the brisk spring air.  
  
"Hogsmeade."  
  
"With who?"  
  
Lily's heart jumped to her throat. James doesn't know yet, she thought. He knows nothing about Lucius and me. Oh, I don't want him to find out.  
  
"With who?" James repeated, this time forcefully.  
  
I guess there's just no avoiding it.  
  
"Lucius," Lily mumbled, looking at her feet.  
  
"What? LUCIUS MALFOY?"  
  
"James, please - "  
  
"Tell me, Lily, what are you doing with him?"  
  
"James, be reasonable, please."  
  
"Me? Be reasonable? What about you? You're the one that's dating a Slytherin!"  
  
Why can't he understand, Lily thought, tears forming at her eyes, that I love Lucius and that houses don't matter? I love him, and he loves me, and that is worth everything, regardless what James says.  
  
Seeing Lily on the verge of crying softened James's temper a tad. He walked over to her and gave her a hug.  
  
"Look, I care for you very much, Lily, and I just want you to be safe. And you're not safe with crap like Malfoy."  
  
She didn't resist and began to weep freely. If only he knew, she thought. Being with Lucius was the safest place on earth, and nowhere else did she feel as comforted and secure. Oh, let James do whatever he wants. I will love Lucius for as long as I live.  
  
Come what may Come what may I will love you Until my dying day  
  
Lucius stood outside the Charms classroom, waiting for Lily. She had been avoiding him lately for reasons he could not discern. He vaguely wondered if he had done something to offend her. He heard Professor Flitwick say, "Class, you are dismissed." As he backed away to let the students leave, he felt his heart race. Even after dating her for two months, he was still captivated by not only her looks but also wit and intellect.  
  
"Move, Malfoy," James spat as he pushed by.  
  
Lucius wanted to say something in retaliation (something along the lines of, "My father will get you for that, Potter!"), but then he caught sight of Lily leaving the classroom. She was the last one out, as usual, probably because she was discussing Charms with Flitwick.  
  
Looking up and seeing Lucius, Lily's eyes quickly darted down, her eyes welling up with tears. Just walk by, she thought, and act like you never saw him.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
Lucius looked down the hall to see if James and his fellow morons were still there, but thankfully, they had left. He approached her carefully, painfully aware of the fact she was now crying. What did I do?  
  
"Oh, Lucius," she sniffed as she fell into his welcoming embrace. "I'm really sorry."  
  
"Sorry? For what? Darling, you didn't do anything. You have nothing to be sorry about."  
  
"Yes, I do," she said amidst a new onslaught of tears. "Lucius, promise not to be mad at me?"  
  
Mad, at her? That was impossible. Lucius could never be mad at Lily.  
  
"Promise."  
  
"Well, James, he - he said I'm not allowed to see you anymore."  
  
He almost laughed. Is that what she's been upset over?  
  
"You don't have to listen to what that idiot says, dear. Just ignore him."  
  
"But - but I can't, Lucius."  
  
What? What was going on? Since when did Lily like James?  
  
"I know you're going to be mad at me, but just listen, okay? I really value him as a friend and his advice has always helped - "  
  
"Then what makes you think it will help this time?" Lucius said quietly, but he could barely suppress his anger. What was Lily thinking, taking advice from someone like James? But then he remembered he wasn't supposed to be angry. Yet -  
  
"Lucius, I didn't expect you to understand."  
  
She looked up at his forever steel gray eyes. Her eyes were all the more green because they were swimming with tears, brimming over the edge.Lucius felt his heart weakening. How could he say no to Lily? Yet, to agree with what she was saying, what James had said, was to lose something so treasured and cherished, and Lucius was not sure if he could carry on with life after Lily.  
  
"Lily," he said tenderly, "I - I understand."  
  
But this did not have the effect he thought it would, and her sobbing only intensified.  
  
"Lily? What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't want to listen to James, I do want to continue going out with you. James is wrong, he's wrong, he's completely wrong, and I don't want to listen to him, but I have to! Obligation binds me to it, and I have no choice! He's my friend and I have to listen to him!"  
  
Frankly overwhelmed, Lucius awkwardly patted Lily on the head and held her close until the crying subsided.  
  
"You must hate me," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"No, I don't," he replied, running his fingers through her thick hair, thinking it would be the last time they would ever be alone together. "It doesn't matter, what James said. I will always love you, Lily."  
  
"I love you too, Lucius."  
  
Oh, come what may Come what may I will love you  
  
Lily Potter sat in her new bedroom. James had gone out for a little with some of his Hogwarts friends. She scanned the room as if he would suddenly appear from nowhere, and then quietly pulled out something from her drawer.  
  
Lucius, his face kind and smiling with his arms around her. I guess this photo will have to do, then.  
  
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place.  
  
Where had all the happiness gone, the happiness that had once filled her life with hope? It had left, departed with Lucius, when he turned his back and walked away, when she staggered up to her dormitory and collapsed, weeping for her lost love, for the world, the perfect world, that was no longer hers.  
  
She found no solace in James. Only Lucius.  
  
Come what may Come what may I will love you Until my dying day  
  
Leaves rustled, the wind whistled by, the sun was setting, leaving a blood- red tint to the sky, but he noticed none of this. His darling, his precious, had left the world, but not his. She would stay with him forever, and even the chains of death could not keep them apart. And out of the dusk, her face came to him, the face that had kept him alive and going since he graduated. Her eyes danced before him, her hair swaying in the chilly air, her melodious laughter ringing through the trees, singing "Lucius! Lucius!" She was there; her presence would follow him forever.  
  
"Lucius, dear, we're leaving!"  
  
"Coming, Narcissa!" he called out, trying to keep his voice from cracking.  
  
He fell to his knees, thinking of all the happy times they had together. Replaying them over and over again, he extracted a single rose from his pocket and gently laid it on the ground.  
  
"I love you," he murmured, getting onto his feet.  
  
He looked at it one last time, burning every detail into his memory, before turning around and heading back down the hill where his wife was waiting.  
  
As the sun sank lower, it cast shadows over a tombstone that read, "LILY POTTER". 


End file.
